


Lovely Sunlit Amber

by ToastyDehmer



Category: Borderlands (Video Games), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Absolute fluff, Characters Are in Fandom, Fluff, M/M, Rhys and Jack are in love and they're adorable, but they know whats going on, dragon riding, mostly everyone pretends not to see it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 04:28:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29711649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToastyDehmer/pseuds/ToastyDehmer
Summary: Rhys, a council member of the Hollow Point Travellers, needs to be fetched. Thankfully Jack, Warlord and Chief of the Barbarian Warriors, owes them a favor still.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	Lovely Sunlit Amber

**Author's Note:**

> This was for a different project but never got used so hereeeeee

“Rhys!” Jack called out. Helios’ powerful wings brought them across the small patch of islands, the aggressive Skrill dragon docile only for his trainer. Next to them flew Nisha and her purple Nadder, Lynchwood. Both of them were progressively becoming more and more bored as the hours of searching went on. Initially she had been attentive but after the first couple islands without any sign of Rhys, she seemingly gave up on paying attention.

A few more calls and a few more passovers and Jack and Helios began to move on. If Lynchwood hadn’t caught any hint of either Rhys’ or Rhys’ dragon’s scent then it was another bust. One among many so far.

As they were flying over the ocean, Nisha suddenly groaned. The Barbarian Warlord glanced over his furred shoulder to see her slouching over Lynchwood’s neck. Nisha’s two golden eyes glared at Jack once he met them.

“Remind me again why we’re looking for this kid?” Nisha petulantly growled. Jack’s hackles rose and the urge to bite out  _ ‘Only  _ I’m _ allowed to call him kid’ _ was narrowly shoved down. As it stood, he reckoned his annoyance was all too clear on his face anyways. That’s what her flat expression told him at least. He huffed and looked back towards their next destination, an island far off on the horizon.

“Because,” he started, calling over his shoulder. “The council of the Hollow Point Travellers want their fifth member back and we still owe them a few favors.”

“‘We’ as in the Barbarian Warriors? Or ‘we’ as in you?” Nisha teased. Jack could hear her smile. Helios chortled and Jack growled, glaring flatly at the slowly approaching island while wishing they were already there, the sun beginning its downward descent.

“Shaddup,” he grumbled. Whether it was directed at his second-in-command or his Skill, it didn’t friggin matter because Nisha snorted and Helios chirruped. Lynchwood, the ‘good’ boy, only huffed in apparent amusement.

“Look, the why? Frankly none of your business. What matters is we find Rhys and make sure he’s on his way  _ back _ to his tribe.

“Ha! Stop acting like you don’t care about their precious little Head Dragon Tamer and Trainer! We’ve known each other how long?”

“Too long,” Jack intoned.

“Exactly,” Nisha smugly responded.

“Whatever.”

Thankfully Nisha left it there and they continued on in silence.

As a whole, the flight was uneventful. No aquatic dragons came up to say hi or harass them. The skies were a peaceful blue with cirrus clouds streaking across the calm expanse. The wind was mild, neither helpful nor particularly pesky. It was nice. Until they began to close in on the island. There was nothing.

And then a purple streak whooshed past Jack and Helios, startling the both of them while Nisha cursed enough to make even Wilhelm turn scarlet.

“ **JACK!** ”

“What in Helheim- Helios!”

Finely attuned as they were, Helios didn’t pause or hesitate in racing after the two at his top speed, electricity crackling along his sharp spines, Jack’s armor and saddle keeping him from turning into fried Barbarian. It took less than a couple seconds before they pulled even with Nisha and Lynchwood, Helios cutting off the electric flow and easily keeping pace with them now.

“Nisha! What is up with Lynchwo-”

“Oh my Thor- he caught a certain someone’s scent,  _ Jack _ ,” Nisha snapped in frustration, cutting Jack off. It was then they passed over the island’s shore and Lynchwood sharply changed course, heading East. Thank Odin Helios knew what to do because as soon as the implication behind Nisha’s words hit him, Jack’s mind slammed into a wall of ‘he’s here’ and stopped in its tracks.

_ ‘He’s here.’ _

Helios came to a stop, hovering in the air with great beats of his wings.

“Rhys!” Nisha shouted down. Jack looked below.

“Nisha!?”

Jack heard Rhys’ voice but couldn’t see him but-

_ ‘He’s here!’ _

“Looks like we found him,” Nisha hummed loud enough for Jack to hear. Jack watched from his peripherals as she drew closer on Lynchwood with a quietly gleeful smirk. “Go get him, lover-boy.” She turned and began flying away with one last thing to yell over her shoulder. “And I better not see you back at Hyperion for  _ at least _ a couple days!”

And then it was just Jack staring down at the clearing where Rhys somewhere was, Helios patiently waiting for a command from his rider.

Rhys. He was here. Shit- Jack hadn’t seen him for...at least a few months. Not since the last treaty revision with the Travellers. Gods that felt like years ago instead of the meager months it had been in reality. Jack couldn’t help but wonder what Rhys had been up to in the meantime.

_ ‘No doubt being a pest to the rest of his Council,’ _ Jack thought with an amused snort and a wry grin. Rhys wasn’t the brightest of them all but he excelled at anything to do with dragons. It was because of that very limited skill set of his that he wasn’t allowed to physically work in any part of his tribe. Seeing as the kid was now the leading expert of dragons in his tribe, it seemed to work out well for Rhys in the end.

“Nisha?” Jack heard Rhys call out from somewhere below, drawing the chieftain from his thoughts. “Are you still there? Do Gortys and I need to come up there?”

Jack opened his mouth to respond but froze when Rhys finally came into view from around a tree. The brunette had a hand over his head, squinting up at Jack and Helios. The sunlight caught in Rhys’ hair turned the strands into a rich auburn color and glinted off the slight man’s armor. If it could be called that.

_ ‘Always one for style, Rhysie.’ _ Another swell of fondness for Rhys rose up from within Jack. It was then realization hit the other viking, Rhys suddenly standing up straight, wide eyes peering up.

“Jack!”

Even from so high above, Jack could see Rhys’ bright smile, his glee easily infectious. Jack softly chuckled and waved down to Rhys.

“Hold on, gimme a couple seconds!” Rhys yelled with a wave of his arms. “I’ll be right there! Gortys!!”

Rhys ran back towards the treeline and disappeared from view the same time a melodic trill answered him. Jack’s chest felt warm and a tension he hadn’t realized had been there seeped from his spine, the older man lazily leaning forward and rested his arms on Helios.

Cute. That’s what he thought of Rhys right then. So damned cute. Like an excited puppy.

Within less than ten seconds, Jack saw a white and red blur leap from the treetops a good distance away from where the clearing was. Immediately it was heading Jack’s way. A churr preceded their arrival, dragon and viking swirling around Jack and Helios. Jack caught Rhys’ mismatched eyes and held Rhys’ gaze while he and Gortys circled around Jack and Helios. Jack couldn’t help smiling like a lovestruck fool and he could see a matching smile on Rhys’ lips. Slowly, Gortys slowed to a glide before delicately holding himself in the air in front of Helios. The dragons happily chirped at each other. Jack and Rhys- well, they only had eyes for each other.

“Hey,” Rhys softly spoke after a time.

“Hey, pumpkin,” Jack returned just as quietly.

Rhys’ smile grew wider. Something mischievous glinted in his brown and blue eyes. “You know what this means, right?”

Jack’s anticipation was palpable. His sweet smile turned into a daring grin. “Damn right I do.”

“Catch us if you can!” Gortys suddenly darted downwards, the deadly white and red Deathsong dragon an agile creature that quickly disappeared between the trees. “And no cheating!”

“You’re on!”

Helios and Jack began to chase after the two with a bark from the dragon. As Helios dive-bombed down, Jack took the only reprieve to latch himself to the saddle, clasps clicking over the armor and securing him in place. And then they were off, Helios digging his claws into the damp earth and bounding off after the whtie and red spot they could spy between the trees. The trees were too densely packed for either dragon to take flight but there was just enough space to glide or propel themselves further as they leapt from tree to tree. It was always a challenge for Helios and Jack but made for good practice.

Rhys’ Deathsong Gortys could turn their serpentine body and wind through or around whatever was in their way. Jack’s Skrill on the other hand had no such advantage. Yes, Helios was a bit faster when generating his electricity but he couldn’t bend the same way, turn as tightly, or maneuver himself quite as gracefully. In fact, there weren’t very many tamed dragons that  _ could _ pull off the same moves as Gortys, untrainable as her species widely was. Practice like this was very much welcomed by the trainer and dragon pair.

They must have made it halfway across the island before Rhys and Gortys suddenly shot out above the treetops and began to fly. Jack urged Helios up to follow with a grin and they were tailing behind the other two a good seven meters behind. Jack kept his eyes on Rhys, looking at the back of the trainer’s head. The sun was creeping closer to the horizon and it lit the world up in golden hues, turning the skies and clouds a gentle pink and purple. Rhys was...beautiful.

Rhys glanced over his shoulder and the sunlight caught the profile of his face perfectly.

The brown eye turned into a warm amber, his cheekbones were highlighted, and his grin burned as bright as his happy gaze.

Suddenly, Gortys was rearing up and going over Jack’s head in a flip. Rhys reached down the same time Jack reached up and their fingertips brushed against each other before Rhys went behind and beneath Jack and Helios. Helios gracefully swerved to the right and Gortys took the left side with an air of elegance. Jack looked over to Rhys, windswept hair and all, the furred collar of his clothing brushing against his neck, the armor shining, and the state of the art dragon riding gear holding him securely in the saddle of his dragon.

Earlier, Jack had thought Rhys as cute. Here though…

_ ‘Handsome.’ _

“Keep flying straight,” Rhys called over the sound of the wind. “I want to show you something!”

Jack nodded and watched with mild curiosity as Rhys urged Gortys up higher, inclining at a gentle rate. When the younger man was a good bit higher, Jack watched as Rhys fiddled with something, only able to see Rhys’ legs wiggle in the process. In the next instant Rhys was sliding off of Gortys-

RHYS WAS FALLING.

"RHYS!" Jack screamed in fear, about to go and rescue his Rhys when- the crazy, gods damned, lovable, genius, brainy-

Rhys started gliding.

He- he pulled something on his gear and suddenly Rhys was gliding right alongside his dragon and steadily coming lower and lower to Jack’s level. Jack watched in awe, agape mouth steadily turning into a wild grin. And as Rhys eventually landed on Helios’ back right behind Jack, the Chieftain couldn’t help the breathless laugh that left him. Rhys carefully settled himself before turning a dazzling smile onto Jack, excitement and adrenaline turning Rhys into something absolutely, stunningly gorgeous.

“You damn son of a bitch!” Jack breathed out as he adoringly looked over his shoulder at Rhys. With the next breath Jack was scrambling to turn around in his seat. He gently cupped Rhys’ cheeks in both his hands, a thumb delicately rubbing a sun-gilded cheekbone. “How did you- friggin hell- you’re so- my  _ gods, _ I just- I love you. So much.”

Damn him, Jack loved the smart ones the most.

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again, sweetheart.”

Rhys’ eyes went soft, his entire expression went  _ soft _ like he loved Jack, like he was enamored with the Barbarian, like he was just as enchanted with Jack as Jack was with Rhys.

“I love you too Jack.”

The kiss they shared was all too sweet and tender. But Jack thought that was okay.


End file.
